Directed by Morgan Neville
Starring the voice of Pharrell Williams

A Lego animation, or brickfilm if you like, is far from unique to have on our cinema screens nowadays, courtesy of its introduction with 2014s genuinely awesome The Lego Movie. Yes, it has already been 10 years since that films release! What is unique, however, is to use this production style to present a biographical documentary, which chronicles the life of American musician Pharrell Williams.

It is this reason alone I felt compelled to critique and wanted to see Piece by Piece.

Predicting who might be the objective audience for Piece by Piece is an interesting proposition that I find similarly challenging to answer as I do who I could most recommend this to. First and foremost, it is definitely not a Pharrell fans only piece of cinema. I, for one, would never claim to be a fan and only know and quite like 5-10 tracks when I hear them in films and out and about. Despite this, I was definitely entertained and engaged by this documentary from start to finish. It is definitely NOT a Lego movie fans only affair, and it is important for anyone considering seeing this for that reason to know it is a biographical documentary, not a traditional film. I have some more to say about that shortly. And given it is such a unique format for a documentary, I wouldn’t restrict its viewing scope to fans of documentaries only either. Hence, it is truly difficult to know just who Piece by Piece will most please, but I am most comfortable in saying that Pharrell fans and fans of hip hop will likely get the most out of it.

Many other musicians that Pharrell has collaborated with over the decades, including Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani, and Snoop Dogg, to name some, share their insights of the subject of this documentary. Footage and scoring of their tracks together are highly enjoyable and nostalgic. I might have been one of very few in attendance at this screening, but I do know I wasn’t alone in tapping my foot to the ground. Pharrell is very attached to Virginia Beach, where he grew up, and this documentary does capture the essence and vibe of what it is to him and seemingly many others. How Pharrell was discovered when part of The Neptunes is quite an incredible story to hear and is fate personified. Now, though I honestly commend the preference and support to fund and build this biographical story as a documentary, I must also be honest in saying that whatever it is being built never comes close to being a complete construction. Many times throughout, I felt as though Piece by Piece was destined (and better suited) to be a more traditional feature film. At least a part, if not most of my sentiments here are attributed to the intimacy it loses, a facet that is usually heavily present in documentaries, due to not being able to see anyones face.

Unfortunately for Piece by Piece, it has been labelled a box office bomb internationally outside of Australia, despite mostly positive reviews from critics. To be frank, what was the expectation exactly? I don’t know that I ever recall a documentary feature film being a box office smash hit. Sad, but true.

Piece by Piece is showing in cinemas across Australia from December 5th.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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